🇺🇸📱 TikTok files emergency appeal with Supreme Court to block a US ban unless it's sold.

— AP

🇺🇸📱 Trump is set to meet with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago Club today.

— CNN

🇨🇦 - 60 liberals MPs sign a letter urging Trudeau to resign.

🇧🇴⛓🛠 — A prosecutor in Bolivia has confirmed the existence of an arrest warrant against former socialist president Evo Morales on charges of human trafficking.

🇻🇺📈 - A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu.

A precautionary tsunami warning is issued.

The earthquake in Vanuatu caused severe damage to the United States Embassy in Port Vila.

🇺🇦❌🇷🇺❗️ — The head of Russia’s nuclear defense forces has been killed by an explosive device planted close to a residential apartment block in Moscow!

🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev: The Kiev Regime will face imminent revenge for Russian general's killing

🇺🇸🗯🇷🇺❌🇪🇺 — 🇩🇪 BILD:

"NATO chief accuses Russia of direct attacks on Alliance countries

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia had long been waging an open, rather than covert, war against NATO countries. Speaking to security experts in Brussels, Rutte stressed the need to change approach and adopt a “war mindset” to be prepared for possible attacks, including, for example, the use of drones in Europe.

According to a report provided by the American delegation to the OSCE, Russia has launched about 150 attacks on NATO territory since the start of the war in Ukraine. These include cyberattacks on railways, hospitals, GPS systems in aviation and water supply facilities. The report also mentions hacking, sabotage and threats to military facilities and underwater infrastructure.

Particular attention is paid to attacks on critical infrastructure. For example, in 2024, major hospitals in Romania and pharmacies in the United States were paralyzed by hacker attacks, and mass failures of GPS signals were recorded in Europe. Russia is also suspected of sabotaging underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, which affected communications and data transmission.

In addition to cyberattacks, the report mentions cases of physical violence and assassination attempts. In Italy, a plot to assassinate the defense minister was foiled, and plans to attack defense industry executives were uncovered in Germany and the United States.

Moscow is also accused of using the migration crisis to destabilize the borders of EU countries. The document also highlights the role of Russian propaganda and interference in elections."

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🫡👋🇸🇾 — 🇩🇪 BILD:

"Russia has begun a large-scale withdrawal of military equipment from Syria

Satellite images from Maxar confirm the transfer of Russian military equipment from Syria. The photos show heavy weapons being loaded onto two An-124 aircraft with open noses at the Khmeimim airbase in Latakia province. Disassembled helicopters are also prepared for transportation.

According to the British Channel 4 television channel, large convoys with more than 150 military vehicles are moving towards Latakia. Among them, tanks and armored personnel carriers have been spotted, which were previously deployed in the southern regions of Syria, such as Damascus and Daraa. Apparently, the Russian command was able to agree with the new authorities on a controlled withdrawal of troops.

Russian warships have reportedly already left the port of Tartus entirely. US sources suggest that Russia is looking for a new base for its fleet in the Mediterranean, possibly off the African coast. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh noted that Russia is taking steps to protect its resources as the regime of Bashar al-Assad falls.

Assad himself, who had held power in Syria for a long time with the support of Russia, was overthrown and given asylum in the Russian Federation. After the rebels came to power in Syria, Russian troops began to curtail their presence in the country."

🔗 Source

🇭🇺💬👤👎🕊🇷🇺 — 🇭🇺 Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán on 𝕏:

"At the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange. It’s sad that President @ZelenskyyUa clearly rejected and ruled this out today. We did what we could!..."

🔗 PM_ViktorOrban

🔗 @ZelenskyyUa:

We all hope that @PM_ViktorOrban at least won’t call Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well.

It’s absolutely clear that achieving real peace and guaranteed security requires America’s determination, Europe’s unity, and the unwavering commitment of all partners to the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter.

No one should boost personal image at the expense of unity; everyone should focus on shared success. Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it. There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine.

I am grateful to @realDonaldTrump and many European leaders with whom we are already working to find the right and strong solutions for real peace...."

#Ukraine

🇷🇴😀❌👨🏻‍🦳⚡️🇺🇸 — 🏴 ZeroHedge | Romania's Constitutional Coup Is Meant To Buy More Time For NATO In Ukraine | Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack | December 16, 2024:

"(...)

This is a disturbing precedent that can easily be exploited by the West the next time that a populist conservative-nationalist with “politically incorrect” foreign policy views wins an election. At the time of writing, a redo hasn’t yet been scheduled, but it’s expected after the new pro-Western parliament convenes on 20 December. About that, their elections were held after the first presidential round, but no accusations of foul play followed. This is obviously due to the West receiving its desired result.

It remains unclear who’ll serve as Commander-in-Chief until the next one is elected, but whoever it is, nobody should anticipate them implementing any radical policies like Georgescu’s. Accordingly, more time has been bought for NATO to organize its reportedly planned peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, even if it’s carried out under a non-NATO mandate. Had Georgescu won the second round and been inaugurated later this month, he could have ruled out his country’s participation in this possible plan.

Romania isn’t as indispensable for NATO’s military logistics to Ukraine as Poland is, but it still borders Ukraine’s western and southwestern regions that are of strategic importance for the bloc. Even if Romania wouldn’t directly participate in any such mission, regardless of whether it’s carried out under the peacekeeper pretext, it could still let the alliance’s troops and equipment transit through its territory to Odessa for example. Georgescu, however, could have cut that off and greatly complicated their plans."

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🇪🇺❌📱 EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Romania Vote 'Interference'

The EU said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into TikTok following allegations the platform was used by Russia to sway the result of Romania's later annulled presidential election.

The EU said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into TikTok following allegations the platform was used by Russia to sway the result of Romania's later annulled presidential election.

The probe, under a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), centres on concerns the short-video app failed to "assess and mitigate systemic risks" linked to election integrity, the European Commission said.

"We must protect our democracies from any kind of foreign interference. Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we have to act swiftly and firmly," said commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU said the decision to open the probe was in part based on declassified intelligence reports by the Romanian authorities.

The investigation would focus on the TikTok's "recommender systems" -- which uses data to suggest users content they might like -- and its policies on political advertisements and paid-for political content, commission said.

The European executive, which acts as the EU's digital watchdog under the DSA, stressed that the opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome and there is no deadline for the probe's completion.

🔗 https://www.barrons.com/news/eu-launches-probe-into-tiktok-over-romania-vote-interference-994b1285

🇷🇺🇱🇾 Lot of Russian navy movements to-from Mediterranean. Linked to or shaped by the situation in Syria (and Ukraine), but some may have been planned earlier.

Expecting major withdrawal of equipment from Tartus

🔗 H. Sutton

🇺🇸❗️🇧🇷🌎 — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says Brazil ‘taxes too much’ and promises reciprocity in imposing tariffs; the criticism extended to all BRICS countries

“We are going to treat people very fairly, but the word ‘reciprocal’ is important because if someone taxes us… If India taxes us 100% and we charge them nothing for the same thing. [...] They send us a bicycle, we send them a bicycle, and they charge us 100, 200. India charges a lot, Brazil charges a lot. If they want to tax us, fine, but we will tax the same amount!"

🇧🇷📈💰 — Despite intervention by Brazil's Central Bank and the sale of dollar reserves to lower the exchange rate, the measure proved insufficient, and the dollar surged to R$ 6.15, the highest level in history since the Real Plan

💸 The monetary authority held two auctions today: one for spot dollars — totaling US$ 1.6 billion — and one credit line auction (with a repurchase agreement) — amounting to US$ 3 billion. This type of auction acts as a "loan" of dollars to financial institutions but was not enough to reverse the upward pressure.

🇧🇷 On the domestic front, only five days remain before Congress begins its year-end recess, and the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is racing to approve the spending containment package before the year's end. However, the package faces criticism for being insufficient given the government's excessive spending, which already surpasses any proposed containment measures.

🇧🇷📈💰 — The dollar in Brazil is trading higher and reached the 6.20 reais mark for the first time. At its peak during the day, the U.S. currency hit 6.2065 reais. The appreciation comes as financial market expectations worsened regarding the spending cut package sent by the federal government to Congress. The plan aims to save 70 billion reais over the next two years, and a total of 375 billion reais by 2030, but lacks assurances of compliance or accountability for any specific administration.

🇺🇸🗯💥🇮🇷☢️ — 🇺🇸 The Wall Street Journal | Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program | Advisers to president-elect, concerned economic pressure isn’t enough to contain Tehran, consider military action | December 13, 2024:

"President-elect Donald Trump is weighing options for stopping Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon, including the possibility of preventive airstrikes, a move that would break with the longstanding policy of containing Tehran with diplomacy and sanctions.

The military-strike option against nuclear facilities is now under more serious review by some members of his transition team, who are weighing the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad—Tehran’s ally—in Syria, the future of U.S. troops in the region, and Israel’s decimation of regime proxy militias Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran’s weakened regional position and recent revelations of Tehran’s burgeoning nuclear work have turbocharged sensitive internal discussions, transition officials said. All deliberation on the issue, however, remains in the early stages.

Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent calls that he is concerned about an Iranian nuclear breakout on his watch, two people familiar with their conversations said, signaling he is looking for proposals to prevent that outcome. The president-elect wants plans that stop short of igniting a new war, particularly one that could pull in the U.S. military, as strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities have the potential put the U.S. and Iran on a collision course."

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🇺🇸💬🇸🇾🇸🇾 — 🇬🇧 Financial Times | US in direct contact with Islamist rebels who took over Syria | Western and regional leaders seek to deal with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham despite designation as a terrorist group | December 14, 2024:

"US in direct contact with Islamist rebels who took over Syria
Western and regional leaders seek to deal with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham despite designation as a terrorist group

The US has been in direct contact with the Islamist movement that spearheaded the offensive to topple Bashar al-Assad despite its designation as a terrorist organisation, as western and regional powers push for a peaceful transition in Syria.

On Saturday US secretary of state Antony Blinken became the first American official to acknowledge that Washington had been in contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has taken control of Damascus."

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